A classic Hitchcock is on 3D Blu-Ray for Halloween this year!

More and more classic films seem to be making their way into 3D re-makes but this Hitchcock classic is staying original… in 3D on Blu-ray that is and this one is perfect for celebrating Ol’ Hallows’ Eve this year.

Dial M for Murder, Alfred Hitchcock’s suspense classic, was among the first films that helped Warner Bros. introduce 3D in U.S. theatres in the early ’50s. Now, thanks to advanced Blu-ray™ technology and the tireless efforts of Warner Bros.’ Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) division, Warner Home Video has meticulously and painstakingly restored the original 3D presentation, and, when Dial M for Murder Blu-ray 3D debuts October 9, audiences will finally be able to see the film in their homes as it was originally meant to be seen. A 2D version will also be included for those who have yet to upgrade TVs and players to 3D. Dial M for Murder Blu-ray 3D will be priced at $35.99 SRP, and the order due date is September 4.

Originally designed to lure audiences away from their TV sets, 3D utilized a “left-eye/right-eye” dual projection process and polarized glasses, the basis for what is seen today. However, with the advent of CinemaScope (“the miracle you can see without glasses”) and the higher costs associated with 3D, the fad was fading by the time Dial M for Murder was released in theatres. As a result, most 1954 moviegoers only saw the film projected in 2D, and it wasn’t until the early 1980s that a classic 3D film revival allowedDial M for Murder to be briefly seen theatrically, albeit in a “faux 3D” 70 mm composite print.

To ready Dial M for Murder for this current release, MPI’s work included a 4K scan of the original camera negative, and a full restoration of the two “eyes,” as well as convergence fixes to ensure perfect alignment.

Said Jeff Baker, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Theatrical Catalog,

“Given the current trend toward 3D, we’re delighted to be releasing this authentic classic 3D. This is not a conversion from 2D to 3D, but an original work, with a big tip of the cap to MPI, that illustrates just how good 3D can be. The Warner library has the largest number of classic 3D titles (15) of any studio and over the years we’ve been looking to release them, but not until now has the technology been perfected to the point we can do that. We’re hoping Dial M for Murder is the first of several classic 3D films to be released, with the long-awaited, much requested “House of Wax” expected next.”

Ranked number 9 on the American Film Institute’s 2008 list of the 10 greatest films in the “Mystery” genre, Dial M for Murder was adapted by Frederick Knott from his hit Broadway stage play. The film stars two Oscar® winners: Grace Kelly (Best Actress in a Leading Role, The Country Girl, 1954) in her Hitchcock film debut and Ray Milland (Best Actor in a Leading Role, The Lost Weekend, 1945). Robert Cummings (“The Bob Cummings Show”) and John Williams (Midnight Lace) also star.

Synopsis – Dial M for Murder

When American writer Mark Halliday (Cummings) begins a relationship with the very married Margot Wendice (Kelly) in London, he unknowingly sets off a chain of blackmail and murder. After sensing Margot’s affections for Halliday, her husband, Tony Wendice (Milland), fears divorce and disinheritance, and plots her death. Knowing former school chum Captain Lesgate aka Charles Swann (Anthony Dawson) is involved in illegal activities, Tony blackmails him into conspiring to kill Margot. When she ends up killing Lesgate in self-defense, Tony implicates her as being guilty of premeditated murder. Halliday must out-strategize Tony to save Margot’s life.

Special Features:

Featurettes: Hitchcock and Dial M and 3D: A Brief History

· Original 1954 Theatrical trailer

Classic Thriller, Strangers on a Train, newly remastered and new to Blu-ray

The movie Roger Ebert calls “a first-rate thriller” tells the tale of a fateful train trip, with strangers offering to “exchange” murders, each killing the person the other wants dead. Hitchcock dramatically reinforces the duality of human nature as he introduces tennis star Guy (Farley Granger) who hates his unfaithful wife, and mysterious Bruno (Robert Walker) who hates his father. Strangers on a Train, co-adapted by legendary detective fiction writer Raymond Chandler from a novel by Patricia Highsmith (The Talented Mr.Ripley), was Oscar-nominated for Best Cinematography, and placed #32 of AFI’s list of the 100 Most Thrilling Films. It’s not surprising, since “Master of Suspense” Hitchcock’s tagline for the film is “a hundred and one breathless minutes of matchless suspense.”

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About Warner Home Video:
With operations in 90 international territories, Warner Home Video, a division of Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc., commands the largest home entertainment distribution infrastructure in the global video marketplace. Warner Home Video’s film library is the largest of any studio, offering top quality new and vintage titles from the repertoires of Warner Bros. Pictures, Turner Entertainment, Castle Rock Entertainment, HBO Video and New Line Cinema.